The din of traffic buzzed around Ren Yuanhao as he walked the hazy night streets, a "patch" on the back of his head.
Ever since he'd heard the system's "nonsense," his gaze towards people had changed.
For instance, the fellow sitting by the cold drink shop, sipping bright red watermelon juice, might be a vampire of noble lineage; the girl in the water-green dress about to cross the road could very well be a cultivator from a blessed land making her way in the world; and the guy on the tower crane, moving freely, might, after finishing his work, leap from a height of over twenty stories and vanish into the night!
—Damn it, what's wrong with me?
"Beep beep, still can't accept the world's setting?"
"Grass, how could I possibly accept it! Saying that, I feel like I'm a child carrying a precious jade through a bustling market, one wrong move and someone could grab my throat, pull out my tongue, tie it in a knot, and then bid me farewell!"
"In a way, that's true. But rest assured, since this system is bound to you, as long as you don't kick the bucket, I will absolutely never leave your side."
"Grass, should I be bowing down in gratitude for this heavenly grace?"
"If you wish, it's not entirely impossible."
"Geez, a man's knees are made of gold. Alright, I'm done talking to you. After all that, you still haven't gotten to the point?"
Ren Yuanhao unconsciously walked to a fountain square. Some middle-aged women were playing kitschy folk music and dancing suggestively, while little brats in shorts twisted along. A few guys playing pickup basketball, unable to bear the scene, moved to another spot to continue their game.
"The point is, I want that Cold Vein."
"Sure, bring the medicine."
Ren Yuanhao was straightforward, not even considering what use the system had for this innate Cold Vein.
"Sure, bring the points to exchange."
"How many points? Don't rip me off. Since you need that thing too, we're in this together, a win-win!"
Ren Yuanhao felt it necessary to haggle with the system.
"Only thirty thousand points, not much, not much."
"Thirty thousand? Are you sure you didn't add an extra zero?"
"How could I? I even gave you a forty percent discount! Generous, right!"
"Wait, let me calculate." Ren Yuanhao, being an accountant, quickly did the math, his expression vanishing. "Damn it, if I don't rest, I'll have to take sixty orders! Sixty days, and if there are any bad reviews, it'll be at least two months!
—By the time the medicine is exchanged, that girl might be buried in the soil! What the heck are you going to do with the medicine then! Unless you plan to burn it for her next Qingming Festival and perform some wicked ritual for the dead to awaken?
Ren Yuanhao felt a headache coming on, wanting only to find some unlucky bastard to curse at and run away.
Just then, indeed, an inconsiderate person threw a basketball at him.
"Come on, brother, pick it up."
The man was dressed flamboyantly, and the girls standing outside the court were giggling provocatively, their voices particularly alluring, even drowning out the kitschy music from the plaza dance.
—Kid, still playing basketball? If I were you, I'd have gone to play that 'ball' that doesn't need bouncing on the ground. Are you out of your mind?
Ren Yuanhao pointed to the "patch" on the back of his head, not wanting to bother with the brat in front of him.
"Oh, my apologies, you're a cripple, are you? Sorry, sorry."
The man, swaying his slender waist, reached out to snatch the basketball from Ren Yuanhao's grasp. However, as he touched the ball and applied force, his expression changed, because Ren Yuanhao was already using seven parts of his strength. Even a strong man might not be able to take the basketball from his one-handed grip, let alone a effeminate man.
"What's wrong, haven't you eaten? Put some muscle into it!"
Ren Yuanhao was already in a bad mood. Normally, he wouldn't bother.
"You bastard, I don't believe it!"
As the man spoke, he glanced at the women behind him cheering him on. Being concerned with his reputation, he rubbed the ball with one hand, but it didn't budge. Ren Yuanhao, on the other hand, yawned, looking impatient.
"Hey, hey, hey, kid, aren't you a woman disguised as a man? You don't have this much strength, and you're playing basketball? How about this, use both your hands, your reputation is worthless anyway."
Seeing Ren Yuanhao's provocative expression, the man's eyes, as soft and alluring as a woman's, lifted. He had no choice but to disregard his pride and attempt to snatch the ball with both hands.
"Put more effort into it."
Ren Yuanhao leaned back on a public bench, laughing. His right hand remained unmoving.
The man had been struggling with the ball for over a minute, his reputation already lost. He might as well have used his elbows and armpits.
Ren Yuanhao suddenly felt a rich, exotic fragrance emanating from the other person, and the force on the basketball in his hand grew stronger. He decided to let go abruptly!
*Thud!*
The man, like a woman, stumbled to the ground!
"Brother? Are you sure you're a man?" Ren Yuanhao dropped the basketball and relaxed completely, reclining with a mocking look.
Unexpectedly, the man had a short temper and, at such close range, hurled the basketball at Ren Yuanhao!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I told you to put more strength into it. You couldn't even hit my face at this distance, a failure." Ren Yuanhao caught the ball with one hand again, tilted his head back forty-five degrees to look at the sky, and the enormous figure of thirty thousand points reappeared in his mind, his emotions a jumble.
Seeing Ren Yuanhao's arrogance, the man was furious and was about to step forward. But Ren Yuanhao, still sitting on the chair, simply threw the basketball directly towards the backboard!
The basketball tore through the air like a brown whirlwind, emitting a sharp whistling sound, and then slammed onto the backboard with terrifying force, emitting a deafening crash. The basketball hoop itself trembled slightly under such immense power!
"Aren't you going to get the ball?"
Ren Yuanhao's eyes flashed with a cold, frost-like white gleam. The man's face had turned ashen. He had intended to show off in front of those women but had instead kicked an immovable iron plate.
Even so, he refused to back down verbally, "Kid, one day this master will return for revenge. You'd best remember this master's name, I am called—"
"I have no interest in knowing the name of trash like you, a sissy. Now get lost?"
Ren Yuanhao's voice lost all trace of mockery. It was as calm as if he were stating something unrelated to himself.